Offences
If you have a personal licence your licence is at risk if you commit an offence which is relevant to that licence, whether that be in your work capacity or not. Therefore in the event of a conviction you are under a duty to inform your licence issuer of that offence.
Police Powers to Close Licensed Premises for up to 24 hours
The Police have the power to order the closure of premises selling alcohol to prevent or control major civil disturbances when a potential disturbance is possible.
The Police have two powers under the Act
1. The Police can apply in advance to the Magistrates for a closure order, this would require all licensed premises in an area to shut down for a period up to 24 hours. This is designed as a way to prevent disturbances before a particular event – football match, demonstration and festivity.
2. The Police can invoke an immediate closure order, on the premises where disturbances are taking place on or near to the premises. This can be for up to 24 hours and such a procedure is considered retrospectively by the Magistrate. This is designed to handle localised and spontaneous disorder in an area.
A police closure order applies to the whole store and is not just the sale of alcohol.
Police Closure Procedure:
In the event of a pre-planned closure (football crowds, demonstrators etc) you will receive written notification of the plans, this will set out when the closure applies. It will also set out what the penalties are for not complying with the order.
The Order is made under the authority of the local magistrate following representation from a senior local police officer (superintendent or above).
In the event of an immediate problem a police officer can issue a closure order on the premises. This is done under the authority of a senior officer.
Working with the Police
Closure powers are seen as a way of protecting local areas to prevent or control civil disturbance. In these exceptional cases your store and your staff could be victims of large unruly crowds, suffering theft, vandalism and intimidation. You may choose to close your premises without Police instruction if you expect a disturbance.
In the event of any such problems you should, where possible, work with the Police to minimise disruption to your business.
If the Police feel that your premises, or those responsible for the premises, were responsible for the disorder that took place on it, then they will most likely ask for a review of your licence. You should co-operate fully and quickly with Police in this situation.
Establishing a good working relationship with local police is a key way to ensure that you minimise the problems with your alcohol licence generally.